Day 2 School Closing Outlook
Issued: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 7:40 PM
Summary:
A combination of strong, gusty winds, light snowfall, and the risk for a widespread flash freeze will lead to at least low probabilities for snow days or delays on Thursday morning.
Discussion:
Strong gusty winds on Wednesday, and especially on Wednesday evening, will exceed 30 MPH and could gust as high as 45-50 MPH along the Lake Michigan Shoreline and inland portions of far Southwest Michigan. These gusty winds could cause some isolated power outages and result in 1 or 2 school closings Thursday morning.
Additionally, much colder air will move into the region after 6:00 PM Wednesday evening as temperatures fall from near 50°F to as low as 25°F on Thursday morning.
This rapid and significant drop in temperatures will have 2 distinct effects overnight Wednesday into Thursday morning that will further support the risk for at least a couple of school closures or delays.
First, scattered rain showers will transition to snow showers, resulting in new snow accumulations of around a dusting to as much as 2 inches by 7:00 AM Thursday morning.
Additionally, any water left on roadways Wednesday night will undergo a rapid change over to ice in a process known as a flash freeze. This will create scattered areas of slick roadways, especially on secondary roadways and in rural areas North of I-96 where temperatures are expected to be coldest.
Graphical Forecast:
